It's possible that, eventually, Minnesota will be acknowledged as an unexpected but legitimate hub for underground hip-hop music. The Rhymesayers collective has already gotten considerable ink and attention, and lately Mod Sun has gotten some of that as well.

Once known more commonly as Dylan Smith, Mod Sun (which stands for "Movement on dreams, stand under none") got his start drumming for two rock bands, Four Letter Lie and Scary Kids Scaring Kids. But he decided he wanted to apply his skills to rapping and has, in the last few years, released over 100 songs (most of them for free) in that realm.

With a cheerful attitude - he likes to call his particular style "Hippy Hop" - Sun has opened for the Wu-Tang Clan and was tagged by Rolling Stone as a promising unsigned artist. His latest mixtape, "Blazed by the Bell," has upped his profile and further promoted our western neighbor's hip-hop cred.

Musicians who play an old album from beginning to end have become so common that it's almost a surprise that U2 isn't doing some kind of "Joshua Tree Redux" tour just to rake in the bucks and glory. Braid is different, having truncated its first phase.

Formed around 1993 in the Champaign-Urbana area of Illinois (an excellent time and place for an indie-rock band to coalesce), Braid fits somewhat into the hard-core and emo scenes of the period and issued three albums from 1995 to 1999 before touring and money pressures led to a breakup.

The individual members found some success with other bands (particularly Hey Mercedes), but eventually drew back together to make a fine 2011 reunion EP, "Closer to Closed." At this show, Braid will perform all of 1998's "Frame & Canvas" for the faithful, and for the locals, as three of the quartet's members - Todd Bell, Chris Broach and Damon Atkinson - have Wisconsin connections.

It's too soon to say if Kevin Hart is the next Chris Rock or Eddie Murphy, but he stands out as the most likely successor at the moment. Hart, 32, developed his live-wire, rapid-fire comic skills as a kid to deal with his father's cocaine addiction, and he mined his past and present insecurities and dysfunctional upbringing for his wildly successful stand-up CD/DVDs "Seriously Funny" and "Laugh at My Pain."

The latter was the first evidence that Hart had arrived. Released in theaters in 2011, it grossed close to $8 million at the U.S. box office, which doesn't seem like much, but was quite a feat considering the film was released in fewer than 300 theaters.

This spring's ensemble dramedy, "Think Like a Man," was further proof that Hart delivered great margins: The film, centrally marketed around his appearance, grossed a surprising $92 million - a $70 million profit. He also hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in September, after which ticket demand appeared to be so strong for his Milwaukee appearance a second show was added.

Read a review of Hart's 7 p.m. show on TapMilwaukee.com on Sunday and on the Journal Sentinel's Encore page on Monday.

THE LAST OF THE BAD MEN

9 p.m. Saturday, Club Garibaldi, 2501 S. Superior St. $8 at the door.

Among punk rockers, a good name goes a long way, and there have been some great names in punk-rock history, from the Clash and Bad Religion to Rancid and New Bomb Turks. The Last of the Bad Men linger in that tradition.

Started by a couple of pro-skater and tattoo-artist brothers, the Bad Men hail from all over the place, although the undoubted ringer is guitarist Deniz Tek of the Australian group Radio Birdman.

For a punk-rock band, the Bad Men haven't been all that prolific: They have just two albums thus far with 2007's "Nowhere Is Safe" and 2008's "Ride." However, they are indeed true to their name, slinging out gutter-dwelling anthems for reprobates everywhere.

While popular culture in the United States, and many other places, tends to place too much emphasis on youth, there are some virtues to being young, as the three bands playing this gig prove.

Milwaukee's Elusive Parallelograms' particular, peculiar virtue has become releasing songs almost as quickly as they write them. After the slower process of earlier stuff like 2009's "And Everything Changes," the five-member Parallelograms have spent this year getting their short, punchy material to tape quite briskly, starting with the "Habits" EP.

Young Holidays is actually Max Holiday, an Appleton native living in Milwaukee, who did everything from writing to distributing his garage-rockin', four-song, self-titled EP.

Cains & Abels are Michigan boys now living in Chicago and touring for their lovely second album, "My Life Is Easy." They're probably the oldest on the bill, but don't hold that against them.

You know that children's rhyme "First is the worst, second is the best"? It can definitely apply to Clay Aiken.

Aiken is reality TV's favorite runner-up. The first time he came in second place was on Season 2 of "American Idol," the singing show juggernaut that made him a celebrity in 2003. He lost that year to Ruben Studdard, but Aiken, with his stunning voice, Southern geniality and old-school, Barry Manilow-style approach to showmanship, developed a rabid following of fans, since dubbed Claymates.

That fan base couldn't help Aiken when he came in second place again, on "The Celebrity Apprentice" this year - although it should be noted that that decision was Donald Trump's alone. But his fan base has still been strong enough to support Aiken's autobiography, Broadway appearance, albums and a number of tours - many of them structured around Christmas standards. And there are enough passionate Claymates in Milwaukee that his local show sold out several weeks ago.

Formed in Appleton, with time split between Nashville and the band's initial home base, Chisel and his partner Adriel Denae (the Americana group's only permanent members) spent the fall touring with Norah Jones, with a brief stop to do a performance on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." The band's good fortune rolls into 2013 as the opener for more Jones dates in Europe and also Australia.

Opening the Turner show is another folk-inclined duo that made our 10 to Watch list, Blessed Feathers, and local singer-songwriter Hayward Williams, who released one of the year's more commanding local albums, "Haymaker."

- Piet Levy

A HOLIDAY IN THE HEARTLAND

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Turner Hall Ballroom. $20 to $75.

By Thursday, Christmas will still be five days away, but the onslaught of new Christmas albums, the barrage of Christmas music on the radio and at stores, even the abundance of local Christmas concerts is enough to make the most spirited holiday celebrant bark out a nasty "Humbug."

But even Grinches should get a warm feeling by attending this second "Holiday in the Heartland" show. Aside from appearances by "American Idol" finalists including Kimberley Locke and one of Milwaukee's most successful "Idol" representatives, Naima Adedapo - the event will include a silent and live auction and holiday vendors. Proceeds benefit One Heartland, a nonprofit that specializes in helping children and families cope with significant health challenges and social isolation. Heartland has particularly been crucial in helping children who have suffered from HIV/AIDS.